Auger mining machine

ABSTRACT

An improved auger mining machine is disclosed. The machine includes an auger string composed of a plurality of auger sections connected to each other and, at the rearward of the string, to a rotary drive means. Each connection is by means of a pin and socket joint which includes a locking means biasly mounted on the socket having associated therewith an unlocking member. A plurality of unlocking means are mounted on the machine to permit separation of one auger section from another and from the rotary drive means. The front unlocking means is pivotably mounted.

United States Patent [151 Delli-Gatti [451 Oct. 17, 1972 1541 AUGER MINING MACHINE 1,593,883 7/1926 Segelhorst ..287/119R [72] Inventor: John L Demand, Fairmont, wk 3,278,236 10/1966 Adams et a1 ..299/55 Primary Examiner-Ernest R. Purser [73] Assignee: Fair-Quip Corporation, Fairmont, AttorneyBurns,Doane,Swecker& Mathis W. Va. [22] Filed: June 18, 1971 [57] ABSTRACT Appl. No.: 154,588

US. Cl ..299/55, 175/85, 287/119 R Int. Cl ..EZlc 27/20 Field of Search .299/55, 56, 57; 175/52, 85;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1904 Saunders ..287/119 R An improved auger mining machine is disclosed. The machine includes an auger string composed of a plurality of auger sections connected to each other and, at the rearward of the string, to a rotary drive means. Each connection is by means of a pin and socket joint which includes a locking means biasly mounted on the socket having associated therewith an unlocking member. A plurality of unlocking means are mounted on the machine to permit separation of one auger section from another and from the rotary drive means. The front unlocking means is pivotably mounted.

29 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures AUGER MINING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to auger mining machines and, in particular, to an auger mining machine having a plurality of automatic decoupling assemblies for use in detaching auger sections from an auger string which comprises a plurality of auger sections.

This invention may be particularly utilized in conjunction with mining machines having single or dual auger strings used to mine material such as coal. Auger mining machines of this type are generally known and are shown, for example, in US. Pat. Nos. 2,616,677 and 3,278,236. In machines of this type, an auger section containing a cutter head at one end is advanced into a seam of the material to be mined. Additional auger sections are secured to the rear of the preceding auger section as the material is being mined. The last auger section in the auger string is connected to suitable drive means. Adjacent auger sections are usually joined by locking means disposed at the front and rear of each auger section and also at the drive means. Once the mining is completed, the auger sections are detached, generally one at a time, until the entire auger string is removed from the bore of the mined material. The auger sections are disengaged from the drive means and the adjacent auger section and usually are stored on or adjacent to the mining machine. The machine may then be moved into position to begin mining anew.

The use of a hydraulically actuated release mechanism to disengage adjacent auger sections is known. Such a system is shown, for example, in conjunction with the locking means described in the aforesaid US. Pat. No. 3,278,236. However, the type of system as known in the art presents a number of disadvantages. For example, there are no known commercially available auger mining machines including automatic decoupling apparatus operable at both the front andrear portions of an auger section. While a system of this general type is shown in the aforesaid US. Pat. No. 3,278,236,'the particular locking and unlocking means as shown therein is susceptible to malfunctions by jamming of the unlocking member by particles of finely-divided mined material.

In addition, an unlocking mechanism mounted adjacent the front portion of an auger mining machine cannot normally extend into the path of the auger section. The mechanism must be suitably movable. An unlocking mechanism mounted adjacent the front portion of an auger mining machine is also subjected to substantial wear and tear due to the nature of the machine and the manner in which it is used.

In addition, as noted above, there is no known commercially available auger mining machine having automatic decoupling means operable at both ends of an auger section. With presently available machines, it is thus generally necessary to have manual laborers adjacent at least the front (mining) end of the machine to disengage the auger sections at that point. The particular unlatching or release means, such as the auger latch release member of the aforesaid US. Pat. No. 3,278,236 must be engaged and held in engagement until the auger sections are released. This maintenance of engagement has heretofore only been achieved through the use of manual assistance. The use of laborers contributes significantly to the overall cost of the machine crew. There is also a serious safety problem created due to the presence of these men at the working end of the machine.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide an auger mining machine having a locking and unlocking system for automatically attaching and detaching auger sections.

- are rugged and long-lasting.

It is another object of this invention to provide an anger mining machine having auger sections connected by pin and socket joints which are both resistant to malfunctioning and automatically operable.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an auger mining machine having auger sections which are separable by decoupling means which can be operated by a machine operator who does not have to be physically located proximate the decoupling means and without the necessity of providing manual labor to assist in the decoupling of adjacent auger sections.

SUMMARY These and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing an auger mining machine including a rotary mining assembly operated by a rotary drive means, the rotary mining assembly including an auger section having a rotary mining head at a first end of the auger section, at least one other auger section connected to the second end of the auger section at the first end of the other said auger section, the second end of the other said auger section being connected to the rotary drive means, each of the said connections between the auger sections and the rotary drive means being by a pin and socket joint, a locking means for each pin and socket joint having associated therewith one of said auger sections from another said auger section and from said rotary mining assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of the auger mining machine of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a close-up side view of the coupling system utilized on the rotary drive means of the auger mining machine of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the decoupling system utilized on the rotary drive means of the auger mining machine of this invention having two auger strings;

FIG. 4 is a close-up view of the decoupling system utilized on the front portion of the auger mining machine of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a view through section line A.A of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 generally shows an auger mining machine 1 of the present invention in use engaging a seam S of material to be mined. The auger mining machine can have a frame which generally consists of a pair of longitudinally disposed, parallel box beams 2 connected at the front (working) face and rear faces by channel members (not shown) and a continuous belly plate 3 in a manner similar to frames known in the art.

The auger mining machine can be supported by vertical lifting jacks 4 located at about the four corners of the frame. The jacks 4 can terminate in feet means 5 adapted to be moved along skids 6 which are parallel rails disposed transversely of the machine 1. The vertical lifting jacks 4 are capable of lifting the entire machine in a vertical direction. The feet means 5 are adapted to travel along the skids 6 and provide lateral movement for the auger mining machine 1. The vertical lifting jacks 4 can also terminate in disc-like pads (not shown) with feet means mounted on the frame (not shown) adapted to travel upon the pair of parallel transversely disposed skid members 6. Also, the vertical lifting jacks may terminate in endless-tread support members (not shown) to provide transverse movement. In the latter instance, there is no need for the transversely-disposed skid members. A number of such supporting and moving systems are known in the 'art and may advantageously be used with the present auger mining machine.

The auger mining machine 1 of this invention includes a rotary mining assembly indicated generally as 7 operated by suitable rotary drive means 8. The rotary mining assembly 7 includes an auger section 9 having a rotary mining head 10 at the front (or working) face of the auger section. As shown in FIG. 1, the rotary mining head 10 is engaging a seam S of material, such as coal, to be mined. The rotary mining head 10 usually contains a plurality of suitable cutter bits 11 arranged about the periphery of the cutter head. The rotary mining assembly 7 may also contain a breaker portion (not shown) within and concentric with the mining head. The breaker, as known in the art, assists in breaking the mined material into suitably sized pieces.

The mined material is conveyed outof the bore by the spiral flights 12 of the rotary mining assembly for ultimate recovery. For example, a receiving pan 13 can be disposed along the front face of the auger mining machine. The mined material exiting from the bore drops into the receiving pan 13. The material can then be passed into a transfer or conveyor system (not shown) for ultimate recovery.

Initially, the auger section 9 containing the rotary mining head 10 at its front end can be connected directly to the rotary drive means 8 by a pin and socket joint assembly 14 hereinafter described in detail. The rotary drive means 8 is longitudinally movable along the frame as, for example, by suitable means such as a chain and sprocket means (not shown). When mining is to begin, the rotary cutter head 10 of the auger section 9 connected to the rotary drive means 8 is positioned adjacent the face of the seam S to be mined.

The rotary cutter head 10 then begins mining the seam S and the rotary mining assembly 7 progresses into the seam. Concommitantly, the rotary drive means 8 is moving longitudinally along the frame towards the front (working) face of the mining machine. Mined material is being conveyed out of the bore by the spiral conveyor 12.

When the rotary mining assembly 7 has entered the seam a substantial distance, the auger section 9 can be automatically decoupled utilizing the decoupling assembly -19 located on the rotary drive means 8 and described in greater detail hereinbelow. The rotary drive means 8 can then be moved rearwardly along the mining machine frame a sufficient distance such that another auger section 15 can be inserted and coupled into the rotary mining assembly 7. The second auger section 15 is connected at its front end 16 tothe rearward end 17 of the first auger section 9 and, at its rearward end 18, to the rotary drive means 8. Each of these connections is by a pin and socket joint assembly 14 as described below.

The pin and socket joint assembly 14 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2 which also shows details of the rear decoupling assembly 19 located on the rotary drive means 8. As shown therein, the pin and socket joint assembly 14 includes a locking means indicated generally as 20 with an unlocking member indicated generally as 21 associated therewith. The locking means 20 is biasly mounted on the socket 22 and is adapted to engage a portion of the pin 23 to lock the pin and socket joint. The locking means 20 preferably is a plunger member 24 slidab ly mounted in a plunger opening 25 between an unlocked position out of engagement with the pin (not shown) and a locked position in engagement with the pin. The plunger is biasly mounted on the socket 22 with a suitable biasing member such as a spring 26 such that the lower portion of the plunger normally extends inwardly into the opening 27 of the socket 22. I

The pin member 23 at the end of the auger section generally is formed with a non-round, preferably hexagonal, cross-section. The pin portion 23 advantageously is formed with a frustoconical surface 28 to engage the plunger 24 and move it outwardly during insertion of the pin 23 into the socket 22. The pin is provided with a recess 29 to receive and engage the plunger 24 and to lockthe pin and socket joint 14. As the pin 23 is inserted into the socket 22, the inwardlybiased plunger 24 engages the frustoconical surface 28 and is forced outwardly in the plunger opening 25 by the pin until the plunger seats into the recess 29. The recess 29 is preferably a slot of suitable depth which extends across a substantial portion of the pin surface. A slot, as opposed to a hole, provides for easier coupling and decoupling as well as a generally longer life for the plunger number 24.

The unlocking member 21 associated with the locking means 20 is preferably a lever 30 pivotably mounted on the socket 22. One end of the lever 30 is interconnected with the plunger 24, as by passing one arm 31 of the lever 30 through a hole 32 in the upper portion of the plunger 24. The lever moves the plunger 24 from the locked to the unlocked position through the action of the lever arm 31 engaging the upper portion of the hole 32 and forcing the plunger 24 upwardly out of engagement with recess 29 in the pin 23.

The mining machine 1 includes unlocking means 19 mounted on the rearward end of the machine,

preferably on the rotary drive means, to operate the unlocking member 21. Preferably, an arm means 33 is connected to the mining machine and is adapted to contact the other end 34 of the lever 30 whereby the plunger 24 is moved from the locked to an unlocked position. As shown in FIG. 2, the arm means 33 can be connected to one part of a hydraulic cylinder assembly 35, such as the cylinder member 36, mounted on the mining machine via suitable rigid rod and arm members 37 and 38. The other part of the piston-cylinder assembly 35, e.g., the piston member 39 can be pivotably connected to the mining machine. The unlocking means can be supported on the rotary drive means by support means 40. As the piston-cylinder assembly 35 is extended, the arm means 33 connected thereto contacts the end 34 of the lever 30 to move the plunger 24 upwardly out of engagement with the recess 29 in the pin 23 and thereby unlock the pin and socket joint. FIG. 3 shows an unlockingmeans 19 mounted on the rearward end of the machine, such as the rotary drive means 8, which is adapted to contact two unlocking members substantially simultaneously.

Each auger section is connected to an adjacent auger section by a similar pin and socket joint assembly 14. An auger section (other than the first auger section which hasthe rotary mining head at its forward end) generally has a pin'portion such as pin portion 23 described above at its rearward end and a socket portion such as socket 22 described above (including the locking means and unlocking member) at its forward end. The first auger section 9 has the rotary cutter head at its forward end and a pin portion 23 at its rearward end.

The mining machine also includes an unlocking means 50 positioned adjacent the front end of the machine 1 to permit the separation of two connected auger sections. This unlocking means 50 can generally be located on a suitable rigid transverse member 51.

Typically, a suitable transverse member can be. a rigid box-shaped member disposed between the front vertical liftingjacks. j

The front unlocking means 50 is generally disposed in an essentially vertical manner. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a vertically disposed backplate 52 is pivotably mounted on the transverse member 51 by suitable pivotable attaching means 53 such as a clevis. The backplate 52 is so mounted as to allow pivoting of up to about 30 about a vertical axis.

A vertically disposed hydraulic cylinder assembly 60 is mounted on the backplate 52 by suitable mounting means 54 connected to the end of the cylinder 55. The piston 56 of the hydraulic cylinder assembly 60 terminates in a lever-contacting means 57. The front unlocking means 50 of FIGS. 4 and 5 is particularly adapted to substantially simultaneously engage the lever arm unlocking member on a plurality of parallel auger strings. The contacting means 57 can thus be a rigid rod extending perpendicularly of the auger strings a distance sufficient to engage each of the lever arms on each auger string.

The backplate 52 also preferably contains guide tubes 58 in which guide members 59 are slidable. The guide members are rigidly attached to contact member 57 and assist in maintaining the proper orientation of the contact member. When the front unlocking means 50 is utilized in an auger mining machine having a single auger string, the contact member 57 can be correspondingly shorter and the guide tubes 58 and guide members 59 may be omitted, if desired.

The front unlocking means is particularly ad- I 'vantageous for use in retracting the auger sections from a bore in material which has been mined. Often, effective utilization of an auger mining machine of the present type involves mining to a depth of ten or more auger sections. While the addition of an auger section has often been .accomplished in a relatively easy manner, the retraction and removal of these sections has often required manual assistance in the belly at the front of the machine to unlock adjacent auger sections. This has necessarily created serious safety problems and also can require an additional workman per crew increasing the cost of the mined material. With the present invention these problems can be avoided.

A typical auger removal operation with the auger mining machine (such as removing the auger string shown in FIG. 1) includes positioning the pin and socket joint 14 of the last two auger sections 9 and 15 under the front unlocking means 50. The hydraulic cylinder assembly 60 is actuated to lower contact means 57 which engages the lever arm 34 on the socket 22 on the front end of the last auger section 15 while the rotary drive means 8 and its connected auger section 15 are backed off towards the rear of the machine a sufficient distance to decouple the last and next-tolast auger sections 9 and 15 from each other. The front unlocking means 50 will generally pivot about the clevis 53 and remain in contact with the unlocking member 21' during the rearward, uncoupling travel of the rotary drive means 8 and its connected auger section. The rear automatic decoupling means 19 can then be actuated and the rotary drive means 8 backed off sufficiently to free the rear end of the auger section 15. Generally, a hook from an overhead hoist is connected to an engageable eye means (not shown) on the auger section 15 to remove the section from the belly plate area 3 of themining machine 1 to be stored on the sides or adjacent to the machine for later use. The rotary drive means 8 is then moved forwardly along the frame 2 of the machine 1 until the pin portion 23 of the auger section 9 is engaged in the socket portion 22 of the rotary drive means 8. These pin'and socket portions automatically engage each other (as described before). The rotary drive means 8 can then be moved rearwardly along the frame 2 a distance sufficient to completely remove the auger section 9 from the seam S.

While the auger mining machine has been generally described as a single auger string machine, the auger mining machine of the present invention may, and preferably does, include a plurality of parallel auger strings, each auger string being composed of a plurality of auger sections connected to each other and to the rotary drive means by pin and socket joints as What is claimed is: I V

1. An auger mining machine including a rotary mining assembly operated by a rotary drive means, the rotary mining assembly including an auger section having a rotary mining head at a first end of the auger section, at least one other auger section connected to the second end of the auger section at the first end of the other said auger section, the second end of the other said auger section being connectedto the rotary drive means, each of the said connections between the auger sections and the rotary drive means being by a pin and socket joint, a locking means for each pin and socket joint having associated therewith an unlocking member, said locking means being biasly mounted on said socket and adapted to engage a portion of said pin to lock the pin and socket joint, and a plurality of means mounted on said mining machine to operate said unlocking member to permit separation of one of said auger sections from another said auger section and from said rotary mining assembly.

2. The auger mining machine of claim 1 in which the locking means includes a plunger slidably movable between an unlocked position out of engagement with said pin and a locked position in engagement with said pin, a portion of said plunger extending inwardly into the opening of said socket when in said locked position.

3. The auger mining machine of claim 2 in which the pin is provided with a recess to receive and engage said plunger when said pin and socket are in the said locked position to lock the pin and socket joint.

4. The auger mining machine of claim 3 in which the pin includes a frustoconical surface to engage said plunger and to move it outwardly during insertion of the pin into the socket.

5. The auger mining machine of claim 4 in which the unlocking member is mounted on the socket and interconnected with said plunger to move the plunger from said locked position to said unlocked position.

6. The auger mining machine of claim 5 inwhich the unlocking member includes a pivoted lever mounted on the socket, one end of the lever engaging a hole in the plunger, the said means mounted on the mining machine to operate said unlocking member adapted to contact the other end of said lever whereby the said plunger is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position. i

7. The auger mining machine of claim 6 in which each means mounted on the said mining machine to operate the said unlocking member includes means adapted to contact the said other end of the said lever.-

8. The auger mining machine of claim 7 in which each means mounted on the mining machine to operate the unlocking member includes a hydraulic cylinder connected to the contacting means.

9. The auger mining machine of claim 1 in which at least one of the said plurality of means is mounted adjacent the front end of the mining machine and another of said means is mounted adjacent the rotary drive means.

10. The auger mining machine of claim 9 wherein said unlocking means mounted adjacent the front portion of the machine is pivotably mounted so as to allow pivoting about a vertical axis.

11. The auger mining machine of claim 10 wherein unlocking means pivotably mounted adjacent the front portion of the machine includes a contacting rod connected to one of a hydraulic cylinder assembly.

12. The auger mining machine of claim 11 wherein said hydraulic cylinder assembly is mounted on a pivotably mounted backplate.

13. The auger mining machine of claim 12 wherein said backplate further includes at least one guide tube, at least one guiding means attached to said contacting rod and slidably mounted in said guide tube whereby the contacting rod is guided in a generally vertical plane.

14. The auger mining machine of claim 1 in which the rotary mining assembly includes a plurality of parallel auger strings, each auger string being composed of a plurality of auger sections connected to each other and to the rotary drive means by a pin and socket joint, each said means mounted on said mining machine to operate the'said unlocking member capable of operating an unlocking member on each of said parallel stringssubstantially simultaneously.

15. The auger mining machine of claim 14 in which the locking means for each pin and socket joint includes a plunger slidably movable between an unlocked position out of engagement with said pin and a locked position in engagement with each said pin, a portion of each said plunger extending inwardly into the opening of each said socket when in said. locked position.

16. The auger mining machine of claim 15 in which each pin is provided with a recess to receive and engage each said plungerwhen each said pin and socket are in the said locked position to lock the .pin and socket joint.

17. The auger mining machine of claim 16 in which each pin includes a frustoconical surface to engage each said plunger and to move it outwardly during insertion of the pin into the socket.

18. The auger mining machine of claim 17 in which an unlocking member is mounted on each socket and interconnected with each said plunger to move the plunger from said locked position to said unlocked position, each unlocking member on each of the said parallel strings being located at about the same longitudinal position in the rotary mining assembly.

19. The auger mining machine of claim 18 in which each unlocking member includes a pivoted lever mounted on the socket, one end of the lever engaging a hole in the plunger, the said means mounted on the mining machine to operate said unlocking member adapted to substantially simultaneously contact the other end of said lever on each unlocking member of each parallel auger string whereby each of the said plungers is moved from the iocked position to the unlocked position and the pin and socket joint on each of the parallel auger strings are substantially simultaneously disconnected.

20. The auger mining machine of claim 19 in which each said means mounted on the said mining machine to operate each said unlocking member includes means adapted to substantially simultaneously contact the said other end of each said lever.

21. The auger mining machine of claim 20 in which each said means mounted on the mining machine to operate the unlocking member includes a hydraulic cylinder connected to each said contacting means.

22. The auger mining machine of claim 21 in which at least one means mounted on the said mining machine to operate the said levers on the said parallel strings of auger sections includes contacting means connected by a transverse rod which is operatively interconnected to the said hydraulic cylinder.

23. The auger mining machine of claim 22 in which at least one of the said plurality of unlocking means is mounted adjacent the front end of the mining machine.

24. The auger mining machine of claim 23 wherein said unlocking means mounted adjacent the front portion of the machine is pivotably mounted so as to allow pivoting about a vertical axis.

25. The auger mining machine of claim 24 wherein unlocking means pivotably mounted adjacent the front portion of the machine includes a contacting rod connected to one of a hydraulic cylinder assembly.

26. The auger mining machine of claim 25 wherein said hydraulic cylinder assembly is mounted on a pivotably mounted backplate.

27. The auger mining machine of claim 26 wherein said backplate further includes at least one guide tube, at least one guiding means attached to said contacting rod and slidably mounted in said guide tube whereby the contacting rod is guided in a generally vertical plane.

28. An auger mining machine comprising a frame, a rotary mining assembly operated by a rotary drive means supported by the frame, said rotary mining assembly including a plurality of sockets for engagement with a plurality of auger strings, each auger string composed of a plurality of auger sections, each auger section having a pin end and a socket end, the said auger sections connected to each other and to the rotary mining assembly by pin and socket joints, a locking means for each pin and socket joint including a plunger slidably movable between an unlocked position out of engagement with said pin and a locked position in engagement with said pin, the plunger being disposed substantially radial to the axis of the center line of the auger section, a portion of said plunger extending inwardly into the opening of the socket to engage a slot provided in the pin when the pin and socket are in the locked position to provide the locked pin and socket joint, the pin including a frustoconical surface to engage the plunger and move it radially outwardly during insertion of the pin into the socket, each said locking means having associated therewith an unlocking member, the unlocking member including a pivoted lever mounted on the socket, one end of the lever engaging a hole in the plunger, means mounted on said mining machine adjacent the rotary drive means to operate said unlocking member on each of said parallel auger strings to permit separation of said auger sections from said rotary mining assembly, said mounted means including a hydraulic cylinder attached to said assembly, the piston of said cylinder being attached to a transversely disposed rod, the said rod having arm means disposed at opposite ends of the rods in position to contact and pivot the other end of the said pivoted levers whereby the said plunger is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position, the mining machine further including an unlocking means mounted adjacent the front end of the mining machine to permit substantially simultaneous separation of auger sections on each of the parallel auger strings.

29. The auger mining machine of claim 28 wherein said unlocking means mounted adjacent the front portion of the machine is pivotably mounted so as to allow i aboutavertical axis. pvotmg 

1. An auger mining machine including a rotary mining assembly operated by a rotary drive means, the rotary mining assembly including an auger section having a rotary mining head at a first end of the auger section, at least one other auger section connected to the second end of the auger section at the first end of the other said auger section, the second end of the other said auger section being connected to the rotary drive means, each of the said connections between the auger sections and the rotary drive means being by a pin and socket joint, a locking means for each pin and socket joint having associated therewith an unlocking member, said locking means being biasly mounted on said socket and adapted to engage a portion of said pin to lock the pin and socket joint, and a plurality of means mounted on said mining machine to operate said unlocking member to permit separation of one of said auger sections from another said auger section and from said rotary mining assembly.
 2. The auger mining machine of claim 1 in which the locking means includes a plunger slidably movable between an unlocked position out of engagement with said pin and a locked position in engagement with said pin, a portion of said plunger extending inwardly into the opening of said socket when in said locked position.
 3. The auger mining machine of claim 2 in which the pin is provided with a recess to receive and engage said plunger when said pin and socket are in the said locked position to lock the pin and socket joint.
 4. The auger mining machine of claim 3 in which the pin includes a frustoconical surface to engage said plunger and to move it outwardly during insertion of the pin into the socket.
 5. The auger mining machine of claim 4 in which the unlocking member is mounted on the socket and interconnected with said plunger to move the plunger from said locked position to said unlocked position.
 6. The auger mining machine of claim 5 in which the unlocking member includes a pivoted lever mounted on the socket, one end of the lever engaging a hole in the plunger, the said means mounted on the mining machine to operate said unlocking member adapted to contact the other end of said lever whereby the said plunger is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position.
 7. The auger mining machine of claim 6 in which each means mounted on the said mining machine to operate the said unlocking member includes means adapted to contact the said other end of the said lever.
 8. The auger mining machine of claim 7 in which each means mounted on the mining machine to operate the unlocking member includes a hydraulic cylinder connected to the contacting means.
 9. The auger mining machine of claim 1 in which at least one of the said plurality of means is mounted adjacent the front end of the mining machine and another of said means is mounted adjacent the rotary drive means.
 10. The auger mining machine of claim 9 wherein said unlocking means mounted adjacent the front portion of the machine is pivotably mounted so as to allow pivoting about a vertical axis.
 11. The auger mining machine of claim 10 wherein unlocking means pivotably mounted adjacent the front portion of the machine includes a contacting rod connected to one of a hydraulic cylinder assembly.
 12. The auger mining macHine of claim 11 wherein said hydraulic cylinder assembly is mounted on a pivotably mounted backplate.
 13. The auger mining machine of claim 12 wherein said backplate further includes at least one guide tube, at least one guiding means attached to said contacting rod and slidably mounted in said guide tube whereby the contacting rod is guided in a generally vertical plane.
 14. The auger mining machine of claim 1 in which the rotary mining assembly includes a plurality of parallel auger strings, each auger string being composed of a plurality of auger sections connected to each other and to the rotary drive means by a pin and socket joint, each said means mounted on said mining machine to operate the said unlocking member capable of operating an unlocking member on each of said parallel strings substantially simultaneously.
 15. The auger mining machine of claim 14 in which the locking means for each pin and socket joint includes a plunger slidably movable between an unlocked position out of engagement with said pin and a locked position in engagement with each said pin, a portion of each said plunger extending inwardly into the opening of each said socket when in said locked position.
 16. The auger mining machine of claim 15 in which each pin is provided with a recess to receive and engage each said plunger when each said pin and socket are in the said locked position to lock the pin and socket joint.
 17. The auger mining machine of claim 16 in which each pin includes a frustoconical surface to engage each said plunger and to move it outwardly during insertion of the pin into the socket.
 18. The auger mining machine of claim 17 in which an unlocking member is mounted on each socket and interconnected with each said plunger to move the plunger from said locked position to said unlocked position, each unlocking member on each of the said parallel strings being located at about the same longitudinal position in the rotary mining assembly.
 19. The auger mining machine of claim 18 in which each unlocking member includes a pivoted lever mounted on the socket, one end of the lever engaging a hole in the plunger, the said means mounted on the mining machine to operate said unlocking member adapted to substantially simultaneously contact the other end of said lever on each unlocking member of each parallel auger string whereby each of the said plungers is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position and the pin and socket joint on each of the parallel auger strings are substantially simultaneously disconnected.
 20. The auger mining machine of claim 19 in which each said means mounted on the said mining machine to operate each said unlocking member includes means adapted to substantially simultaneously contact the said other end of each said lever.
 21. The auger mining machine of claim 20 in which each said means mounted on the mining machine to operate the unlocking member includes a hydraulic cylinder connected to each said contacting means.
 22. The auger mining machine of claim 21 in which at least one means mounted on the said mining machine to operate the said levers on the said parallel strings of auger sections includes contacting means connected by a transverse rod which is operatively interconnected to the said hydraulic cylinder.
 23. The auger mining machine of claim 22 in which at least one of the said plurality of unlocking means is mounted adjacent the front end of the mining machine.
 24. The auger mining machine of claim 23 wherein said unlocking means mounted adjacent the front portion of the machine is pivotably mounted so as to allow pivoting about a vertical axis.
 25. The auger mining machine of claim 24 wherein unlocking means pivotably mounted adjacent the front portion of the machine includes a contacting rod connected to one of a hydraulic cylinder assembly.
 26. The auger mining machine of claim 25 wherein said hydraulic cylinder assembly is mounted on a pivotably mounted backplate.
 27. The auger mininG machine of claim 26 wherein said backplate further includes at least one guide tube, at least one guiding means attached to said contacting rod and slidably mounted in said guide tube whereby the contacting rod is guided in a generally vertical plane.
 28. An auger mining machine comprising a frame, a rotary mining assembly operated by a rotary drive means supported by the frame, said rotary mining assembly including a plurality of sockets for engagement with a plurality of auger strings, each auger string composed of a plurality of auger sections, each auger section having a pin end and a socket end, the said auger sections connected to each other and to the rotary mining assembly by pin and socket joints, a locking means for each pin and socket joint including a plunger slidably movable between an unlocked position out of engagement with said pin and a locked position in engagement with said pin, the plunger being disposed substantially radial to the axis of the center line of the auger section, a portion of said plunger extending inwardly into the opening of the socket to engage a slot provided in the pin when the pin and socket are in the locked position to provide the locked pin and socket joint, the pin including a frustoconical surface to engage the plunger and move it radially outwardly during insertion of the pin into the socket, each said locking means having associated therewith an unlocking member, the unlocking member including a pivoted lever mounted on the socket, one end of the lever engaging a hole in the plunger, means mounted on said mining machine adjacent the rotary drive means to operate said unlocking member on each of said parallel auger strings to permit separation of said auger sections from said rotary mining assembly, said mounted means including a hydraulic cylinder attached to said assembly, the piston of said cylinder being attached to a transversely disposed rod, the said rod having arm means disposed at opposite ends of the rods in position to contact and pivot the other end of the said pivoted levers whereby the said plunger is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position, the mining machine further including an unlocking means mounted adjacent the front end of the mining machine to permit substantially simultaneous separation of auger sections on each of the parallel auger strings.
 29. The auger mining machine of claim 28 wherein said unlocking means mounted adjacent the front portion of the machine is pivotably mounted so as to allow pivoting about a vertical axis. 